The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-08-20
LAKE WINNIPISEoGEE.
The Scenic Beauty, History and Poetry, of the
Locality Of the Great Universalist Grove
Meetings.

Meetings.
Just now, when the Universalists of
the Eastern States have held their an
nual grove meeting at Weirs, N. H., on
this Lake, is good time to give de-
scriptive letter. Lake Winnipiseogee,
says correspondent of the Springfi field
Republican, is beautiful sheet of wa
ter, and when it is better known will be
sure of many more visitors. The lake
proper is about twenty miles long and
ten miles wide, but so irregular is its
outline, including many long and crook
ed bays, that its shore line is 1872 miles
in length its surface is over 500 feet
above sea-level; it is generally shallow,
although in some places it is 200 feet
deep and its waters are remarkably
pure.
WiDnipiseogee spreads out over a
great surface, indents the surrounding
country in many places, which with pro-
jecting arms of land, form numerous
great bays, and contains vast guam
tity of islands of every size and descrip-
ton, therefore the waterways are
varied, and as high and picturesque
mountains surround the basin the views
are Of extreme beauty. These waters
were highly priced by the Indians, and
evidences Of their presence about the
lake are found in many places, and the
names of the different sheets indicate
their acquaintance with Them. The
tribes of the whole Merrimack river
valley from Newburyport by the sea to
the mountains were confederate and
under one chief sachem, Passacona-
way, who was noted for his wisdom,
ability and goodness. These all spoke
the same language and the prevalence
of names of places from the sea-shore
to the White hills, ending with squom
shows Indian designation as Swamp
scott near Lynn, Squam harbor near
Cape Ann and Lakes Winnisquam and
Asquam testify. Our Agawam is re-
ally the same Indian name corrupted !;
Squam is the Algonquin for water,
Winnisquam is beautiful water" and
whoever views that lake from the Bos-
ton and Lowell cars when going to this
region will see that the red men wisely
named it. The whole region of these
lakes was known by the general name
of Womnesquamsaukee, meaning ''the
pleasant Watering place." Winnipiseo-
gee is literally 1.-THE beautiful water of
the high place. But our poets have
given currency to tradition that its
meaning is 1.-THE smile of the Great
Spirit" Any one familiar with Whit
tier recalls how many times he so names
it-"The Smile of Heaven" "The
Spirits Smile," etc. One of the West
Springfield parsons has recently helped
to fasten upon it that (really untruth-
ful) meaning of the pretty name in the
following lines, which are now having
wide circulation
An Indian chiessths red men tell,
Ere on his dropping eyelids fell
The sleep of death,
With latest breath
Thus prayed: Great Spirit ere move
To hunting grounds in fields above,
Some token for my people weak,
Some pledge of blessing would seek"
Well pleased, the Spirit heard his prayer.
And quivering through the pulsing air,
His smile of love
Fell from above;
And where it touched the waiting earth,
lovely lake sprang into birth,
Whose crystal wave, mid rock and isle,
Reflects, unchanged, 'The Spirits Smile"
The lines are pretty enough to help
bind the white mans poetical concep-
tion Of the meaning of the name in the
popular mind; but it is certain that the
Indians never gave it.
A short distance northwest of Win
nipiseogee and only forty feet higher
are the Squam lakes, through which the
biologists say the outlet of the greater
lake once was. There are three of them;
Wimonesquam, only little one but
very pretty, on the southeast; Asquam,
much the largest, on the north, and
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